Day One Recap

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two Southeastern Louisiana University track & field women's outdoor records fell as both Onyah Favour and Esther Nwanze advanced on day two of the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field National Championship East First Round Thursday at the Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium on the campus of the University of North Florida.
 
The day opened with Donroy Brown competing in the shot put competition, which had been postponed due to weather a day prior. Brown's first throw of the day went 17.64 meters (57'10.5"), starting him in fifth place as the first two groups of competitors threw at the same time. His second throw was even better, going 17.86 meters (58'7.25") and moving him up to fourth place. By the time he came up for his third throw, he had slipped back to seventh place, and that's where he stayed after faulting on his final attempt. From that point, he could only watch and see if his mark from his second throw would hold for a top-12 finish to advance to the National Final. It would not as the third and fourth groups quickly had throws which dropped him past 12^th place, ending his season. After all shots were thrown, he finished in 29^th place.
 
Then it was time for the Lady Lions to make their presence felt on the track with Favour the first to race, competing in the 400-meter dash. In the fifth heat of six to run on the day, Favour took down a record which had stood for a quarter-century as she stopped the clock in 51.93 seconds, breaking the Southeastern school record of 52.13 seconds which Christine Amertil set back in 2000. She was also the third competitor in her heat to cross the finish line, giving her an automatic spot in the quarterfinal round race on Saturday.
 
The weather then rolled in once again, causing a delay, but that would not stop Nwanze from her date with destiny. In the first race to run after the rain delay, and in the first heat of it, Nwanze stopped the clock in the 400-meter hurdles in 57.35 seconds to break her own SLU school record of 57.52 seconds which she set at the 2024 Southland Conference Outdoor Championships. With that time getting her a fourth-place finish in her heat, she would have to wait and see if that time would hold and get her into the next round. After the final five heats finished, Nwanze's time was still the fastest among the hurdlers looking to qualify on time, pushing her through to Saturday's quarterfinal race.
 
Saturday's women's track national quarterfinal schedule will see Favour race in the 400-meter dash at 6:50 p.m. EDT/5:50 p.m. CDT and Nwanze race in the 400-meter hurdles at 7:25 p.m. EDT/6:25 p.m. CDT. Both will be looking to finish in the top three of their respective heats in order to earn an automatic berth to the semifinal round which takes place at the NCAA Division I Outdoor National Championships in Eugene, Ore. June 11-14. If they finish outside of the top-three in their heat, they can still advance on time by being one of the next three fastest runners.
 
All four days of the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field National Championship East First Round are being televised on ESPN+ with live results also available through Flash Results.
 
PODIUM CLUB/S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the track and field program are encouraged to join the Podium Club. Lion alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners. All membership fees and donations to Podium Club are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern track and field program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Track and Field, follow @LionUpTrack on Twitter, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube. channel.